Blinds & Designs Too

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Thursday, July 21, 2016

We have a fifth-wheel trailer that I named the Taj-Mah-Hauler.
Of course I have to glamp it up a bit.
The latest glamping I have done is to take the very dark bedroom and lighten up the area behind the bed.
If you are familiar with trailers, the walls are very thin, and don't handle too heavy of items on them.
I was inspired by some maps I had seen on Pinterest.

Pinning is fun, but I wanted to make this thing happen, so one day, I got on Amazon and found a 24 x 36" map that I thought would look good in our bedroom.
You are thinking....a map?!
What am I thinking...

Well, here is what I did to make this happen.
First I got a map that was laminated.
Without adding much weight at all, I went to Hobby Lobby and had them cut a foam board to fit the map.
(If I ever do this again, I will just get a larger piece and glue it on and cut after it dries, as it was tricky getting the map on straight and in the exact spot you wanted it to stay)
Next, I got out some of the washi tape that I have collected and had not put to use!
A couple of layers worked out well, and gives the map a border that appears to look like a frame.

I have a wonderful lady in Florida that makes vinyl lettering (since I have never bought a Cricket or Silhouette) and she printed the saying I wanted to use on the map. I will share her info if you are interested in purchasing from her. The company is known as Gifts Galore and Home Decor. She is wonderful and has made several other things for the trailer.
She was so kind to send me the cutest candle (artificial) for the campsite as well.

Within a couple of days, the letter were on my doorstep and it didn't take me long to get them on the map.

Before lettering was added

I used the 3M hanging velcro strips to attach the map onto the wall.
The installation was flawless!
What an easy and fun project, and I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

I think it lightened up the area quite well, and I see me tagging our travels on the map in the future.
Thanks to all the talented people on Pinterest....it really inspires all of us to create our own little piece of heaven.

We have a fifth-wheel trailer that I named the Taj-Mah-Hauler.
Of course I have to glamp it up a bit.
The latest glamping I have done is to take the very dark bedroom and lighten up the area behind the bed.
If you are familiar with trailers, the walls are very thin, and don't handle too heavy of items on them.
I was inspired by some maps I had seen on Pinterest.

Pinning is fun, but I wanted to make this thing happen, so one day, I got on Amazon and found a 24 x 36" map that I thought would look good in our bedroom.
You are thinking....a map?!
What am I thinking...

Well, here is what I did to make this happen.
First I got a map that was laminated.
Without adding much weight at all, I went to Hobby Lobby and had them cut a foam board to fit the map.
(If I ever do this again, I will just get a larger piece and glue it on and cut after it dries, as it was tricky getting the map on straight and in the exact spot you wanted it to stay)
Next, I got out some of the washi tape that I have collected and had not put to use!
A couple of layers worked out well, and gives the map a border that appears to look like a frame.

I have a wonderful lady in Florida that makes vinyl lettering (since I have never bought a Cricket or Silhouette) and she printed the saying I wanted to use on the map. I will share her info if you are interested in purchasing from her. The company is known as Gifts Galore and Home Decor. She is wonderful and has made several other things for the trailer.
She was so kind to send me the cutest candle (artificial) for the campsite as well.

Within a couple of days, the letter were on my doorstep and it didn't take me long to get them on the map.

Before lettering was added

I used the 3M hanging velcro strips to attach the map onto the wall.
The installation was flawless!
What an easy and fun project, and I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

I think it lightened up the area quite well, and I see me tagging our travels on the map in the future.
Thanks to all the talented people on Pinterest....it really inspires all of us to create our own little piece of heaven.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

My son and daughter in law purchased their home in 2007, and we did blinds and some windows treatments in it.
They were very stylish at the time, but it was time to make a few changes.

Before

New fresh 2015 update

This is how we updated the room.
We replaced valances and cafe treatments with a couple of custom roman shades.

The simplicity of the roman shades really do clean up a windows.
For the person that wants a little something on the window, but doesn't want draperies, this might be the right thing for you as well.
We lined the roman shades with a regular lining, but you can also use a blackout lining if you want a more dramatic look to the room.

Valance removed

We also took down a valance in the living room and used the same draperies, but put them on rings, and used a decorative rod.

Just wanted to share the new look, and see what a little bit of change can do for a room.
Hope you enjoy!

Thursday, June 18, 2015

We have a granddaughter that is turning 7 this month.
Her mommy is wanting to have an American Girl Dollhouse built and would like for all the family to decorate a room.

I think everyone was on board with this idea, as it is a nice group effort to make a special someones day.
The house will consist of a living room, dining room, kitchen combo.
There will be a bedroom and a bathroom.
All the furniture was bought and the doll house was ordered.
The day of our granddaughters birthday, was very exciting for all of us.
The day consisted of getting said granddaughter out of the house so the dollhouse could be delivered.
I have to say it was perfect timing....as soon as Cooper was picked up, I pulled into the drive.
We grabbed a quick bite of lunch, and then it began.
The gentleman that made the dollhouse shows up about 15 minutes later.
With a lot of maneuvering my son and the gentleman was able to weave their way through the obstacles of doorways and place the dollhouse in its new home.
It is absolutely beautiful!!!!
His workmanship was great and it looks perfect! (note the stained wood floors and real wood shingles on the roof) KBCWoodCreations
Next....decorating it!

All the wooden furniture has some assembling to be done!
The kitchen was packed quite nicely as well, and Heather spent a lot of time unwrapping all the small pieces.

Between my mom, Heather, my son and myself, we made great time and was able to get everything in its place in record time.

Believe it or not, within about 2 hours we had the dollhouse looking like something a little 7 yr old girl would spend many hours playing with.
Heck, I would love to sit and play as well!

The finishing touch was the lighting.

On one of my trips to Hobby Lobby this morning getting things together for party later this evening, I found Locker Chandeliers.
Heather and I had talked about them, but was not able to find any...but looks like our lucky day!
Yes, and they are so cute!
We put 3 lights in the dollhouse.
They are battery operated and give off such a sweet glow.

Heather closes the door to our granddaughters bedroom that she has decorated with streamers and pom poms until the party later this evening.

With all the trash and boxes loaded in my car we exit stage left.
We are out of here.
Granddaughter returns around 2:30, to the closed and decorated door to her room.

Fast forward to 6pm.
All the family has arrived and we are so exited to have the big reveal.
I sneak in the room so we can have a video of her opening the door to her room and her new dollhouse.
She was so sweet and I think somewhat overwhelmed with the whole thing.
Operation "Dollhouse" was a success.....and I have to say it was sooooo much fun to work on!

Heather says that Cooper and her little brother have been playing in the dollhouse non stop.
What an exciting and fun 7th birthday we had.
Hope Cooper remembers this one for a long time, because I sure will!

So glad that Heather came up with this idea and included all the family with her dream.
It was a total delight to help make it all come together.
Great job Mommy!!!!

Friday, April 17, 2015

If you have followed my blog, you know that I have been busy redoing the Living area at the house.
I am happy to say, I think I am about finished.

After Paint and new Chair!

Before Paint!!!!

I got the urge to paint the one large wall that the TV sits on, because every time I took a picture of the room, the wall looked so stark.
One evening while visiting a local Starbucks, I noticed their color scheme and I liked it.
Westlake Ace Hardware had their pint samples of paint on sale during the month and I thought it was a perfect time to take advantage of this.

Gosh, I remember when I could pick a paint color and just walk away and be so happy.
Doesn't seem to be that way anymore.
I am not sure if it is because we have so many color choices or I am getting old!!!

Fast forward to about 5 pints of paint, and I find the perfect color.
It goes by the name "Milk Chocolate"....and I love it.
The official Velspar name is Chocolate Milk. :)

Painting the wall was a breeze after I got the proper ladder!
I really am pleased with the color.
I had talked with my friend Phil, and asked if he had any chairs that I might be interested in.
He told me he had a really nice chair and ottoman set.
I am liking the idea of this change in the room.
He brings the chair by and I fall in love with it.
He also had bought a flame stitch fabric he had planned on using for the duo.
I think I like it, but wanted to make sure before I commit.

Wag the chair and ottoman home and it looks "perfect".
And that flame stitch....I love it!!!

The color of the wood on the chair and ottoman were very dated, and I didn't hesitate to whip out some CeCe Caldwell Chalk Paint and paint the two pieces.

Wow, what a difference that made.Now on to the upholster...so he can work his magic.

Phil had told me he thought a tag on the underside of the chair said it is a Sam Moore chair, and sure enough, it was!

The chair and ottoman are finished, and they have been moved into the living room.

I am really pleased with the outcome.

Yes, I have been a busy girl, and I think the room really has made a great transformation!

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

My last post was about the transformation of an older sofa I have had for years.
This post is to complete the circle of events.
Since we bought the new TV, the whole living room has been in an uproar.
First the sofa leaves, and then the TV.
We have had the large TV encased with black wall units and shelves.
This is all gone.
I have re homed the cabinets to my husbands office.
His old shelves were needing updated...so what better way to do this.
The light bridge is being stored for now.
So you can see, I have been in a total mess.
I don't like messes, and I don't like things to be unorganized, so I have to get a grip on this, and finish my redo.

A friend told me about a piece of furniture that he thought I would like for our new TV to sit on.
I was wanting a fairly long piece, as the wall is very big, and something small would not only be dwarfed by the wall, but the new TV as well.

I loved the furniture, and the deal was made.
I now owned a blonde piece of furniture...that would become some other color, as soon as I could figure out what "that" color was going to be.

I tossed around distressing it black...been there, done that.
I thought about doing it a white tone, distressed....still not there.
One evening I text my daughter in law, and asked her what she thought I should do.
She suggested a turquoise color....hmmmm, sounds interesting.

I got on my trusty IPad and starting searching.
I kept looking at Ann Sloan's Duck Egg Blue.
I have always loved that color, and never had anything to use it on.
I bet you can guess where this is going.
The color I selected was Duck Egg Blue from Ann Sloan.
I loved it just the regular color, but felt I needed to go ahead and antique it a bit, so it wouldn't be so loud in the room.
Not that the color is bright or anything, but since the piece was fairly large, I just didn't want it to jump out and be the only thing you see when you walk in the room.

I think I nailed it!!!
The new TV's have those sound bars, and I wasn't happy with the sound bar sitting in front of the TV the way it was, so my husband and I added a little shelf to it to tuck the sound bar away.

I have to say, I am very pleased with the outcome.
I know that my mismatched style of decorating isn't for everyone, but it works for us.
We just like a non stuffy and comfortable room.

I think I have achieved the look I was after. (but I am going to paint the walls)
At one point in this whole thing, I was wondering if I would ever like what I had done.
I made a mistake and bought a smaller area rug for the living room.
I knew I had made a mistake when I brought it home, but I thought I could grow to like it.
After all the dust has settled in the room, I still don't like the area rug.
I ended up moving this first rug to the dining area, and went back and bought the larger one.

Instant happy!
Sometimes you just have to stick with that "gut" instinct, and I guess looking back at the rug incident, I didn't want to lug that big ole rug to the car and home and unload myself. (one of the purchases made when the husband was out of town) :)

Things are getting back to a dull roar in the living room, and as I sit in my recliner and look around the room, I am pleased with the outcome.

I am so ready for the snow and gray days to leave Oklahoma.
It gives me way too much time to sit and think of more decorating changes I need to be making at our house.
But, hey, isn't that what I am supposed to do....but I think it needs to be for others homes, not mine!!!!

Bring on Spring...we are ready!!!!
Happy Decorating :)

Working on a paint color at this time. And a little more tweaking to be done.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

My saga of the sofa started in October.
We have owned a great sofa for quite a while but
I just was tired of it being a sofa bed, and not needing to use it.
Our neighbors that live next to us bought a new home, and guess what!!!!
Yep, she was needing a sofa.
She love it, she bought it, and then it was gone.

Now starts that age old quest to find a new one.
Being in the "business" would make you think this will be an easy task.
Hah!!!!
Before I even got around to looking, my husband and I came up with a good idea.
I have owned a sofa for over 30 yrs.
It has been in a lot of places.
It's been in 2 stores, but when we moved to our home we are in now, I decided to bring it home and use in our back room.
The sofa has served us well back there.
The kids play in this area, and therefor the sofa was nice to sit and watch them play, or whatever it needed to do.

One evening while watching tv in our very "empty" room, I asked my husband if we could bring the sofa into the living area.

We did, and guess what, we like it.
The sofa is a Drexel Heritage and has really good bones.
It doesn't look like the sofas you will see in the furniture stores right now.
That is totally fine with me, because I always like the more eclectic look anyway.

That weekend a decision was made.
I was hot on the trail for fabric on Monday morning.
I visited a great little wholesale fabric company and walked out with my fabrics.
Wow, this was moving quickly!!!!!

This too shall pass, as I hit the brick wall.
You know the one.....seems like there is always one!

The holidays are fast approaching and my upholster is snowed under.
That's ok, I will just have my Thanksgiving and Christmas get togethers with my "old" sofa.
To tell you the truth, it is "old" but the fabric is still in very good shape.

So fast forward to the New Year.
It's my turn...well, or so I thought!
It is actually February before it actually happens.

During all this, we purchase a new tv, and the other end of the room has been in a total uproar.
Yes, I guess I love a challenge!
We got the new Samsung 60" Curved TV, and of course all the old stuff had to go!
But that is a different blog all together...as soon as I get it written I will share this with you.

Sofa is finally finished, and delivered.
Much to my dismay, I was not happy with it!
I sat in my recliner staring at it....
I had restyled it a bit, and not put any of the nail heads back on.
It was just blahhh looking...and the cushion....OMG really!
I whined and discussed and cussed over the next few days.
Being snowed in doesn't help the matter.

My poor husband thinks he is married to a crazy woman.
I told him I can adapt to about anything...if my food isn't just right, it's ok....if something goes wrong in life, adjust! But mess with my decorating, and I am a basket case.

I truly understand how my customers feel when they get something and it just isn't quite right.
I was all over the Internet....tagging pics on HOUZZ....
Then he light bulb moment......it's the cushion...it looks so flat!
Looks really cheap to me...needs some loft! More poof!!!

Finally get to open the store and get back in the regular grind.
This helps me handle things like. Business person and not a consumer. LOL
I make the call and explain my issue to the upholster.
His words are " bring in the cushion and I will fill it more".
How easy was that!
I also took the original kidney pillows to have them covered as well.
This sofa just has to have those pillows to make it comfortable.

I was so excited to get the call that he had the cushion and pillows ready in record time.
I rush them home and plop them on the sofa frame.
Instant happy!!!

I wanted to write this blow by blow accounting of my experience for people to understand that we as decorators get frustrated and have second thoughts as much as the next guy.

Happy to say the living area is finally coming together and I am beginning to like it again.

After all, isn't that really what it's all about....we just want to enjoy our little piece of our world....sometimes it's just easier to achieve than other times.

We must have to adjust our ideas and plans to make it all happen.
Signed, a Happy Decorator/client... :)